French patent 2 608 119 describes a wideband system for locating purposes and for transmitting information and/or instructions between a mobile and a control station for said mobile, the system comprising a hollow tube parallel to the path followed by the mobile and forming a waveguide, the tube having an emitting face pierced by an array of openings for passing microwave electromagnetic radiation, the mobile being provided with at least one microwave transmit and/or receive antenna disposed facing the face of the tube which is pierced by the array of openings, the hollow tube being connected to at least one microwave feed member and to a member for receiving microwaves coming therefrom.
Such a system enables wideband analog information and/or high data rate digital information to be interchanged, e.g. telephone and/or video signals, and/or telemetry and/or remote control signals, and it also enables measurements to be made of the position and/or of the speed of the mobile moving close to the tube forming the microwave waveguide, which tube is referred to below as the "waveguide".
The present invention relates to a method of acting remotely on a site using such waveguides as a transmission and remote control system.
The use of robot vehicles controlled by radiowaves propagating freely is known. It suffers from problems of interference. So-called "tunnel" effects similar to those that occur with underground transmission may also prevent waves travelling from the transmitter to the receiver. In addition, screening may disturb the propagation of radiowaves.
These problems are solved by the method of the invention for acting remotely.